Henry Fielding

Fielding had a successful though controversial career as a playwright, which was cut short by the introduction of theatre censorship, preventing him continuing his most successful line of writing, political satire and burlesque. These three volumes collect his entire output for the stage.

Henry Fielding is a figure of great significance in English literature and in the history of his own time. A hard-working Justice of the Peace in London, he was involved in establishing England's first police force, the Bow Street Runners, and worked tirelessly to counter social and criminal abuses both on the bench and by writing on legal cases. He was also highly involved in politics, editing three political journals in turn and writing satires and burlesques for the stage which were only cut short by the introduction of theatre censorship. It is, however, Fielding's novels which have preserved his name and reputation. They include between them almost all the range of his personality: classical learning, irreverent wit, desire to expose and counter social abuses, impatience with hypocrisy and pretension, knowledge of the dark undersides of English society and a typically eighteenth-century delight in high living. This edition is a facsimile of Leslie Stephen's 1882 edition of the Works. Alongside the complete novels and plays are less well-known prose works such as A Journey from This World to the Next and A Voyage to Lisbon, as well as Fielding's poetry, essays, writings on legal matters and political journalism. The contents of the volumes are as follows:Volume 1 ( pp.): Introduction to the Works by Prof. Alan Downie; Tom Jones, vol. IVolume 2 (558 pp.): Tom Jones, vol. IIVolume 3 (646 pp.): AmeliaVolume 4 (500 pp.): Joseph Andrews; A Journey from This World to the NextVolume 5 (479 pp.): Jonathan Wild; articles in The ChampionVolume 6 (439 pp.): The Covent-Garden Journal; The True Patriot; The Jacobite's Journal; non-political essays; legal cases of Elizabeth Canning and Bosavern PenlezVolume 7 (426 pp.): A Voyage to Lisbon; A Charge to the Grand Jury; An Inquiry into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers; writings associated with David Simple; classical translations; complete poetryVolume 8 (489 pp.): plays, 1728-1731Volume 9 (501 pp.): plays, 1731-1734Volume 10 (504 pp.): plays, 1734-1737 and the late The FathersAlan Downie, Professor of English and head of English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmith's, University of London and an authority on Fielding and the early modern novel, has written a new critical introduction to the Works as a whole, printed in volume 1.

Tom Jones is Fielding's masterpiece, and a turning point in the development of the English novel, bringing with it both the seriousness of intention and inclusiveness of content that have come to characterise the form.

Fielding had a successful though controversial career as a playwright, which was cut short by the introduction of theatre censorship, preventing him continuing his most successful line of writing, political satire and burlesque. These three volumes collect his entire output for the stage.

Fielding had a successful though controversial career as a playwright, which was cut short by the introduction of theatre censorship, preventing him continuing his most successful line of writing, political satire and burlesque. These three volumes collect his entire output for the stage.

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding is a rollicking and humorous novel that follows the adventures of the charming and roguish Tom Jones. Immerse yourself in this classic tale of love, lust, and mistaken identity set against the backdrop of 18th-century England. The original comic novel of adventure and amour. Engage with Fielding's witty and satirical writing style. Delve into the misadventures and romantic entanglements of the lovable rogue, Tom Jones. Reflect on the themes of morality, social class, and the follies of human nature. Experience the lively characters, captivating plot twists, and comedic moments. This edition presents Fielding's masterpiece with a beautifully designed cover, making it a must-have for fans of classic literature and captivating storytelling.

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, often known simply as Tom Jones, is a comic novel by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. It is both a Bildungsroman and a picaresque novel. It was first published on 28 February 1749 in London, and is among the earliest English prose works to be classified as a novel. It is the earliest novel mentioned by W. Somerset Maugham in his 1948 book Great Novelists and Their Novels among the ten best novels of the world. It became a best seller, with four editions being published in its first year alone. Tom Jones is generally regarded as Fielding's greatest book and as a very influential English novel. Plot of the novel: - A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire-though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections. Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, often known simply as Tom Jones, is a comic novel by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. It is both a Bildungsroman and a picaresque novel. It was first published on 28 February 1749 in London, and is among the earliest English prose works to be classified as a novel. It is the earliest novel mentioned by W. Somerset Maugham in his 1948 book Great Novelists and Their Novels among the ten best novels of the world. It became a best seller, with four editions being published in its first year alone. Tom Jones is generally regarded as Fielding's greatest book and as a very influential English novel. Plot of the novel: - A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire-though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections. Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.

The story consist of three main parts. The first begins with the discovery of an infant - Tom - in the bed of Squire Allworthy, a rich and benevolent gentlemen who lives in Somerset. Tom's origin is mysterious, but Mr Allworthy takes pity on him and brings him up with his own nephew, Blifil, who constantly seeks to harm the generous, open-hearted Tom. The two boys receive the same education, but while Blifil remains a mean and odious hypocrite, Tom grows into a brave, manly and likeable young man, sometimes impulsive and too pasionate, whose impetuousness often leads him into trouble. He falls in love with Sophia Western, daugther of a neighbouring squire, but he is socially inferior and so a marriage between them is impossibile. Moreover, the jealous Blifil's machinations against him lead to Tom's banishment from Mr Allworthy house. The second part records Tom's adventures on the road, in which a host of new characters are encountered each of whom introduces the story of his own experiences. The third and last part set in London, where Tom has established, and where Sophia flees to avoid a marriage to Blifil. The major characters are brought together and, through revelation and recognition, they achieve the d nouement. Betrayal and macchinations are unmasked, and it turns out that Tom is the illegitimate child of Bilfil's own mother - Mr Allworthy's sister. He is thus recognised as Mr Allworthy's heir, and his marriage to Sophia meets with no opposition.